Profession
must take up challenge of effective leadership to gain corporate recognition,
says consultant
Occupational
health must tackle the challenge of effective leadership head on if it is to
drive itself forward as an integral part of any company.
That
was the message from last month’s Royal College of Nursing’s Occupational
Health Nurse Managers Forum. Under the banner "Make a Difference, Lead the
Way," OH nurse managers were told by training and management consultant
Susan Lock that leadership within OH is about vision and strategy. "We are
leaders because we are expected to make a difference," she said. "It
is not your title or position that makes you a leader. It is the respect of
your colleagues."
Lamb,
a former personnel manager of flight crew at British Airways, outlined an
action plan for would be leaders.
The
key for any leader, she said, was "leading, motivating, inspiring and
influencing. These are all connected to working in a team. There cannot be
leaders, unless there are followers.
To
be an effective leader, you must lead from the heart of your team," she
added. "It is crucial you see everyone in your team as an individual and
understand, help, support and encourage them.
"Devising
a process to make and prepare our leaders of tomorrow is not a simple task.
However, it must be tackled head on to make occupational health work within
industry and for people to see OH as a strategic function."
Key
leadership skills
–
Presentation skills in order to inspire and persuade
– Self-confidence and confidence to manage change
– Ability to motivate
– Effective communication skills
– Creativity
– Risk-taking ability
– Charisma
